The present invention relates to holsters for handguns and, more particularly, to a system and apparatus for docking the holster at multiple locations without removal of the handgun from the holster.
Many present-day holsters, particularly those used for concealed carry of a handgun, are formed of molded plastic material with each holster being uniquely configured to fit a particular handgun. One example of such a holster is the LightTuck™ Kydex® IWB holster produced by Vedder Holsters LLC of Mount Dora, Fla. The Kydex® material is a thermoplastic acrylic-polyvinyl chloride formulation that can be readily molded to various configurations such as the shape of a handgun. IWB is an industry term for “inside the waistband”. This particular holster includes a clip attached to one side that fits over a belt of a person carrying the holster when the holster is placed inside the person's waistband. The Kydex material of the holster has sufficient strength and rigidity to allow the clip to be attached to the holster by screws.
One of the advantages of the above exemplary IWB holster is that the holster can be readily removed from its carry position in the waistband to another location, such as when the person carrying the handgun enters into a vehicle and keeping the handgun in the waistband would be generally uncomfortable due to bending at the waist and pressure from the vehicle seat. In such cases, the person will ordinarily remove the handgun from the holster in order to be able to place the handgun into an accessible location inside the vehicle. Quite often, the person will perform this action before entering the vehicle which can expose the handgun to other persons in the area resulting in a violation of the concealed carry laws.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,067 describes one form of holster that can be removed from a belt retention apparatus without removing the holstered handgun from the holster. In this patent, the holster is not for concealed carry but rather of the type that is used by law officers and carried in a fully exposed position. The mechanism for holding the holster to the belt is not of the type that allows it to be readily removable from the belt worn by the law officer. Accordingly, the holster has a spring-loaded mechanism affixed to a side facing the officer with a push-button release extending through a central opening in the belt-worn mechanism. One issue with the disclosed embodiment is that the user has to reach around the holster, i.e., between the holster and the user's body, to press the push-button in order to release the holster from the belt attachment mechanism. This patent also suggests that a second attachment mechanism could be mounted to another surface so that the holster could be connected to the mechanism in a location other than on the user's belt. However, such mounting would create an arrangement in which it is difficult to remove the holster unless there is provided sufficient spacing between the mechanism and the surface in order to allow the user to access the rear of the mechanism with the user's fingers for releasing the holster from the mechanism. Such a mounting arrangement is not desirable, particularly in a vehicle where there is limited space, since it would cause the holster and attachment mechanism to protrude substantially from the surface. In addition, the mechanism described includes multiple parts making assembly complex and increasing the cost of the holster and attachment mechanism.
What is needed is a mounting system for a concealed carry handgun holster that allows the holster to be removed from a user's waistband and attached to an alternate support mechanism without removing the handgun from the holster wherein the alternate support mechanism latches the holster in place in a manner that is easily released and also allows the handgun to be removed from the holster while the holster is attached to the alternate support mechanism.